Fur-stretcher.



M. J. NEWHOUSE.

FUR STRETCHER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1916.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

'LQMJYOY.

TORNE y MILFORD J. NEWHOUSE, OF SHERRILL, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ONEIDA COMMUNITY, LIMITED, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FUR-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed September 25, 191d. Serial No. 122,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILFORD J. NEW- HOUSE, a, citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Sherrill, in the county of Oneida, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Fur-Stretchers, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in fur stretchers and is particularly adapted for stretching and supporting the pelts or skins of fur-bearing animals.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a device which shall be of high efliciency for this purpose and adapted for stretching pelts of varied sizes within a reasonable range and with substantially equal efiiciency.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating the method of mounting the pelt upon the stretcher. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the stretcher with the pelt removed. Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a partial view of a stretcher of some what modified form and construction. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a spur of Fig. 4.

The invention comprises a resilient frame -1 preferably formed of a single piece of spring metal, such as wire, bent into U-shaped form to exert an outward tension upon the pelt when slipped thereon from the closed end toward the open end of the U-shaped frame.

The pelt should, as shown in Fig. 1, be slipped upon the frame with the flesh side out. The tension of the spring arms -2 and 3 of the frame 1 may be utilized to stretch the skin while drying or while under treatment. This frame may, obviously, be of varied construction and may be of any size desired and the degree of resiliency may be predetermined to meet any desired conditions.

To hold the pelt upon the resilient frame -1- and to hold the arms 2-- and --3- in predetermined position to obtain the desired degree of tension, a pair of spurs --4- and are provided, and, as shown in Fig. 1, one of the spurs, as --4,

is adapted to engage the back of the pelt while the other spur 5 is adapted to engage the belly of the pelt. These spurs are provided at their rear ends with bearings, as shown, circularin form and journaled, respectively, upon the arms 2- and 3- which are likewise in this specific illustration circular in crosssection and of a size adapted to substantially fit the arms to practically prevent tilting movement.

With this construction the spurs are longitudinally movable along and rotatable upon and with respect to the spring arms 2 and -3, respectively. WVhen, however, tension .is applied to the bent end of the prong of the spur transversely the longitudinal extent of the spur, the binding action prevents any movement of the spurs along the arms and tends to bend the arms inwardly to keep them at right angles to the spurs, the transverse and inward movement of the spurs being such as to produce the desired tension in the frame 1.

The spurs may be moved longitmliually of their respective arms to bring them to the proper point for engaging the particular pelt at hand with the desired degree of stretching tension of the arms 2 and -3-.

Preferably, the arms and 3- are provided with stops -6 and 7-, respectively, adapted to prevent the removal of the spurs from the arms. These stops may, as shown, he formed by heading the wire at the ends of the arms -2 and 3.

In Fig. 4. a modified and perhaps preferred construction is illustrated. In this construction the spurs 8 and -9- are rotatably and slidably mounted upon the arms -2 and -3- 'n like manner as the spurs -4 and -5- of the previous figure but each spur is provided with a plurality of prongs, in this specific illustration two in number, and identified by the numerals 10 and -11- respectively. These prongs project different distances radially or outwardly from the respective arms --2 and -3- thereby adapting the stretcher for use with a perhaps wider range of skins than where one prong only is provided. It is obvious that the spurs may be provided with any desired number of prongs projecting in desired distances outwardly from the journal of the support.

In Fig. 4, instead of heading the arms It is readily apparent that many changes may be made in the form and details of construction and in the shape and size of the parts without departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of connected arms, and a spur mounted on each arm and rotatable with respect to the arm.

2. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of resiliently connected arms, and a spur mounted on each arm and rotatable with respect to the arm.

3. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of resiliently connected spring arms, and a spur mounted on each arm and rotatable with respect to the arm.

4. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of connected arms, and a spur mounted on each arm and rotatably and longitudinally movable with respect to the arm.

5. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of resiliently connected arms, and a spur mounted on each arm and rotatably and longitudinally movable with respect to the arm.

6. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of resiliently connected spring arms, and a spur mounted on each arm and rotatably and longitudinally movable with respect to the arm.

7. A pelt stretcher comprising a single piece of wire adapted to be bent to form a substantially Ushaped resilient, frame, a,

separate spur mounted upon each arm of the U-shaped frame, said spursmovable longitudinally of respective arms independently of each other.

8. In a pelt stretcher, a U-shape resilient frame, and a spur rotatably mounted on each side of the U-shape frame.

9. A pelt stretcher comprising a U-shaped resilient frame, an elongated spur mounted upon each arm of the U-shaped frame, each spur adapted to extend inwardly from its respective arm to engage a pelt intermediate the arms.

10. In a pelt stretcher, a U-shape resilient frame, a spur mounted on each side of the U-shape frame, and rotatably and longitudinally movable on its respective arm, said spurs provided with prongs extending toward the open side of the U-shape frame.

11. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of connected arms, a spur rotatably mounted on each arm and provided with a plurality of prongs extending outwardly at different distances from the arms.

12. In apelt stretcher, a pair of resiliently connected arms, a spur mounted on each arm and rotatably and longitudinally movable with respect to the arms, each spur provided with a plurality of prongs lying at different distances from the axis of movement of the In witness whereof I have hereunto'set my hand this 19th day of September, 1916.

MILFORD J NEWI-IOUSE. Witnesses:

G. RAYMOND NoYEs, G. EMAE LAUGHLIN. 

